The 2016 Hakkoryu Taikai held in Omiya, celebrating Hakkoryu’s 75th anniversary was an outstanding success by all accounts. Never before have so many people from all over the world come together for an event such as this.

Following the Taikai, the week-long Jikiden sessions were held at the Honbu Dojo behind closed doors. We are pleased to congratulate the individuals below who received the following licensing on 19 June 2016:

This event is open to all registered Hakkoryu members in good standing.

The Taikai dates are set at June 10-12, 2016. ¥50,000 fee includes single occupancy hotel for TWO nights starting 10 June 2016 at Palace Hotel, Omiya. Breakfast, dinner and an after-Taikai party. Flight arrangements will be the responsibility of the traveler. Fee is refundable through December 31, 2015.

Closed-door Jikiden sessions will take place at the Palace Hotel, Omiya after the Taikai. Shihan closing ceremonies and dinner will be held at a separate hall five minutes from Honbu dojo afterwards due to the high number of people attending. Those staying for the Jikiden sessions are responsible for arranging their own accommodations. Palace Hotel is highly recommended:

This Official Koho Shiatsu certification session is open to any Hakkoryu member in good standing with Hombu Dojo. Attendees will receive the Koho Shiatsu Igaku course completion certificate issued by Nidai Soke Okuyama.

An open Jujutsu/Shiatsu/Goshinjutsu seminar will take place July 17-19, and the Shiatsu certification course will follow on July 20-26.

Inevitably, people who practice techniques in their martial arts schools are led to believe that with plenty of practice in static, convenient circumstances that the techniques they learn will prepare them for anything that may come to them in life. They feel satisfied because they may be awarded a rank or a belt of some color.

What they fail to understand sometimes is the intent of the teaching, as basic as it might seem, right from the beginning. The student may not realize the difference among things like practicing a specific technique versus applying a principle of defense in a life/death situation. A teacher’s accomplishment in bolstering a pupil’s self-esteem with a rank or belt color might just be enough to get a student killed because they feel they’ve been inundated with awesome self-defense abilities.

About knives. Kitchen knives are awful. Long, sharp (maybe), but usually pointy. And just about everyone has them, just like box cutters, letter openers, pencils, pens. All of them can become weapons used to slash and stab, and when used against the human body, they cut veins, arteries, muscles and nerves. They also puncture, causing blood loss, sucking chest wounds, lung collapse and heart/artery destruction.

Unfortunately, many martial arts teachers attempt to teach knife defense in the classroom without considering the actual energy and intent of an attacker, and shame on them. Can you picture yourself in a situation in which you’ve chosen to lift a knife and decided to hurt or kill another person? Probably not, but what would it take? Rage? Defending a loved one? These things are all fuel for the person holding the knife. SOMETHING has pushed them to this point, and rationality is out the window. To pick up an edged weapon and use it against another human being is a sign of either desperation or cold, strong calculation. Whatever it was that pushed the aggressor to that end, you are in peril.

Hopefully you’ll see early on why the static teachings just don’t work.

I’ve selected a few videos that offer what I think are some valid points and illustrations on the subject:

This last video is not for the squeamish. Raw footage of reality with fatalities. Got a gun? NEVER think of it as a shield against an edged or pointed weapon.

So please, PLEASE be aware that a casual approach to knife defense is an exercise in futility. There’s really no defense other than evade and escape whenever possible. If trapped, you will probably die.

Some help might come from a teacher, but most of the ability to survive comes from the individual.

We would like to thank everyone who participated and was otherwise involved in the very successful Taikai in Michigan, USA hosted by Joseph Stricker Shihan on August 1-3, 2014 at the Hakkoryu Senshinkan Dojo in Bay City. We enjoyed over 50 participants from North America and abroad and entertained over 100 guests at the celebratory dinner afterwards, which included some of Saginaw and Bay City’s Government Representatives, members of the Board of Directors of The Japanese Cultural Center of Saginaw, and many family members and friends.

From the moment this event was announced, the response was overwhelming. It is inspiring to see so many people gather from so many different places to practice Hakkoryu Jujutsu and Koho Igaku Shiatsu for these three long days. Nidai Soke Okuyama was extremely pleased not only with the number of attendees but also the obvious dedication each and every participant displayed during the course of the event. Because he deeply appreciates this kind of dedication to Hakkoryu, he promises to continue his visits to North America for as many years as he is able, with his son following in his footsteps.

More events like this are already being planned in North America and Japan, so please watch for more announcements to come!

Though we had to say goodbye to many new friends after the long weekend, many remain here for the duration of the closed-door training in Koho Igaku Shiatsu and Shihan, Kaiden and Sandaikichu “Jikiden” (direct transmission from the Soke) over some long days through August 10. This year, eleven people are receiving Shiatsu certification, four people receiving Menkyo Shihan licensing, four receiving Menkyo Kaiden licensing as well as the final and perhaps the most significant part of Hakkoryu’s curriculum, the Sandaikichu teachings.

Once a pupil has been recommended by their teacher (a person already holding the Menkyo Shihan license or above), he or she signs the official roster (emeiroku) sealing their new promise and commitment to Hakkoryu. They then receive direct instruction from Nidai Soke Okuyama on the new and deeper techniques and philosophy of the school. In this way, the transmission is direct from headmaster to pupil.

This week our new Shihan-in-training not only receive instruction from the headmaster, but also from several others who have received the licensing before and who have traveled to Michigan from such faraway places as Oregon, California and Texas USA to participate in the teachings and welcoming of these new licensed instructors of Hakkoryu Jujutsu. It’s not only a chance for everyone to help the new Shihan candidates, but also for them to help each other while learning once again from the head of the school, Nidai Soke Okuyama. This is how teachings are preserved and passed on from one generation to the next, while maintaining strict quality control not often seen in other schools. This training demands much of the pupil. Not just in the sense of the physically exhaustive training, but it also requires one’s efforts in cultivating a new mindset; a new outlook.

As Shodai Soke Yoshiji (Ryuho) Okuyama, the Founder of Hakkoryu and his son Nidai Soke Toshio (Ryuho) Okuyama, the inheritor of the school have said in many writings and lectures over the years:

The Japanese Cultural Center of Saginaw, Michigan has invited Shihan Joseph Stricker to present and demonstrate Hakkoryu Jujutsu and Koho Shiatsu at their gardens. While the event was to be held prior to Nidai Soke Okuyama’s arrival in Michigan, it’s been postponed until August 16, 2014.

The garden at the Center opened in 1971 and was designed by Mr. Yataro Suzue and Lori Barber and has since been an excellent place for anyone and everyone who visits to experience a glimpse into Japanese culture.

Hakkoryu Jujutsu and Koho Shiatsu will be demonstrated and explained to the attendees. The event is open to the public.

Assisting Shihan Joseph Stricker of the Hakkoryu Senshinkan Dojo are Kaiden-kichu Shihans Garner Train and Devon Smith, as well as their students.

Nidai Soke has also been invited to attend a welcome ceremony by the Center upon his arrival in August; details about his visit will be shared closer to that date.

I had the pleasure of viewing a new exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) today, called “Samurai: Beyond the Sword”.

I didn’t know about the exhibit until I received an invitation from Shihan Joseph Striker, who was organizing a trip to the Institute for his students (and for parents of his young students). It was a pleasure to join them on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Joe owns and operates the Hakkoryu Senshinkan Dojo in Bay City, Michigan, USA.

I don’t visit the DIA as often as I should; this trip reminded me of that, and shame on me since I’m not that far away. Their fixed exhibits are excellently presented and encompass Africa, Egypt, the South Pacific, and the Indigenous Americas; Asia and the Islamic World as well. Native American, Canadian and United States of America history, too. Of course there is art and history specific to the State of Michigan and especially the City of Detroit.

From my point of view, that of someone who’s always been interested in Japanese culture, I thought DIA did a fantastic job with this exhibit. They provided us with personal audio players that allowed us to input an exhibit number to hear commentary specifically related to that subject via headphones. A different set of numbers was tailored for youth versus lecture for adults.

Exhibits included items and art from the Heian period (year 794) all the way to the Meiji Restoration (1868). Emphasis was placed less on the military aspects of the Samurai, more on their role in culture.

I confess that I’d like to go through the entire exhibit all over again, but using the “youth” setting for the audio narration. One of the younger people in our group was staring up at a suit of armor while listening intently to the pre-recorded narrator, then looked up to her father and said “look Dad, they said Darth Vader’s helmet was made to look like a Samurai helmet”. And she was right – and the people responsible for the narration of the exhibit were right. Ralph Mcquarrie was the artist who came up with that look for our favorite villain in the 1970’s; the connection was intentional, according to him. One example of how a historical piece of Japanese culture has impacted Western modern culture, for sure.

“Samurai: Beyond the Sword” Is a collaborative work between the Detroit Institute of Arts based on the original exhibition Lethal Beauty, curated by Dr. Andreas Marks for the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, with tour organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC, USA.

UPDATE: The Taikai enrollment fee has been frozen at $300. There will be no price increase for 2014 as previously stated.

After the great success of the Hakkoryu Embukai in New Jersey, USA in 2012, Nidai Soke Okuyama is very excited to be returning – this time to Michigan for a three-day Taikai and seven days of hard training afterwards.

The three-day Taikai is open to the public, regardless of previous martial arts experience. There will be several licensed teachers attending who will be introducing Hakkoryu Jujutsu and its self-defense applications with Nidai Soke giving direct input to all who attend.

The Taikai and the closed Hakkoryu Jikiden (inside teachings) sessions will be held in Bay City, Michigan, USA. The Taikai takes place August 1-3, while during the following days August 4-10 the Shihan/Kaiden/Sandaikichu/Koho Shiatsu training will take place for those eligible. Note that the Koho Shiatsu certification sessions are available to all students registered and in good standing with Hakkoryu Hombu regardless of rank.

For further information including training fees for Shiatsu/Shihan/Kaiden/Sandaikichu, contact Devon Smith at shinzan@mail.com

For flight planning, the major airport closest to the dojo is MBS International Airport (MBS) in Saginaw, MI (20 minute drive). The next closest is Bishop International Airport (FNT) in Flint, MI (50 minute drive).